American Red Cross: Take precautions during heat waves

Hydration, heat stroke, children or pets in cars all cause for concern in high temps

Eric Williams, 2, runs Thursday through the splash park water tunnel at Jackson Spray Park. Temperatures are expected to climb in the capital city this weekend before cooling down a bit for the end of the month.

With triple-digit high temperatures in the forecast for Friday, agencies across Shawnee County are reminding residents to stay cool when they can.

The National Weather Service predicts Friday’s high temperature in Topeka will be 100 degrees, but the heat index indicates Topekans could feel temperatures about 107 degrees.

Nearly 100 people died from extreme heat in 2013, according to the weather service.

The American Red Cross said it is important to look out for signs of heat stroke.

Heat stroke, which can be potentially life-threatening, can set in quickly, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Heat stroke victims’ body temperature will rise rapidly and the sweating mechanism will fail, making the body unable to cool down, the agency said.

“Victims can have red skin, a weak pulse and rapid, shallow breathing,” said Meghan Spreer, the communications director for the American Red Cross of Kansas.

Spreer said it is important to start administering help to someone who may have heat stroke, even before emergency personnel arrive.

She recommends rapidly reducing the person’s body temperature by applying ice or wrapped cold packs to the wrists, ankles and neck.

Combatting heat-related illnesses, such as heat stroke, heat cramps and heat exhaustion, can be simple, according to the American Red Cross.

“We recommend that people slow down, stay indoors and, if they don’t have air conditioning, go to a public place that does,” Spreer said.

Misty Kruger, the public information officer for the Shawnee County Health Agency, said residents are welcome at any of the 13 community centers around the area to beat the heat.

Kruger and Spreer also recommend residents without air conditioning can go to public libraries or malls and drink plenty of water.

However getting out of the heat isn’t always easy for the homeless population in the city.

Barry Feaker, the executive director of the Topeka Rescue Mission, estimates there are hundreds of homeless in the city who are at risk.

“Right now we have between 250, 260 people staying at the mission per night,” he said.

That number is significantly less than the number of people he has at the mission this time last year. And although Feaker said he is seeing cooler temperatures compared with last summer, he hasn’t nailed down an exact reason why the shelter isn’t as busy.

“I don’t have a great explanation,” he said. “The weather could be a factor but not much of one.”

Despite the lower numbers, Feaker and his team are hitting the streets to help those in need.

The initiative is designed to check the welfare of homeless residents as well as offer services to them.

“Cold bottled water is popular this time of year” with homeless people who are not staying at the shelter, Feaker said.

This summer the operation has helped nearly 100 homeless people, he said.

He encourages residents who see an unsheltered homeless person in distress during the day to call 911.

“That is what we would do,” he said.

Feaker also said Topekans can call the mission at (785) 354-1744 if they see a homeless person in nonemergency need.

For homeless in the area, or for those who don’t have utilities at their houses, Feaker said there are sections of the mission open during the day.

And another issue that health agencies want residents to be aware of is children and how they are affected by the heat.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said 17 children have died of heat stroke so far this summer in the United States.

“The majority of these cases are accidental tragedies that can strike even the most conscientious and loving parents and caregivers, but they can be stopped,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said Thursday in Washington.

The windows of a car can “act like a greenhouse,” keeping sunlight and heat inside.

Because of that, “cars parked in direct sunlight can reach internal temperatures up to 131-172 degrees when outside temperatures are 80–100 degrees,” the NHTSA said on its website.

Foxx stressed that it takes only 10 minutes for the inside temperature of a car to reach deadly levels, even if the outside temperature is in the low 80s.